Financial Resources

After years of keeping the benchmark federal funds rate at historic lows, the Federal Reserve has been raising it gradually. Near-zero rates were an emergency measure, and gradual increases reflect greater confidence in the U.S. economy. However, rising rates can affect you as a consumer and investor.

January is typically a strong month for the municipal bond market, but 2018 began with the worst January performance since 1981, driven by rising interest rates and uncertainty over changes in the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act. The tax law changed the playing field for these investments, which could affect supply and demand.

On March 8, 2018, President Trump imposed a global tariff of 25% on steel imports and 10% on aluminum imports. The economic impact in the United States and globally will likely depend on whether a hard U.S. stance and/or the breakdown of trade negotiations escalates into a larger trade war.

Spring is slowly approaching. As the harshness of winter recedes, volatility in both the markets and weather are picking up. While I can hardly speak to fluctuations in the weather, the fluctuation in the market is almost certainly a function of rising interest rates, though the madness of crowds is difficult to quantify.

At Basepoint Wealth, we operate under the Fiduciary standard for advice on everything we do. This commitment to a higher standard of advice is at the core of how we work each and every day, and it is what sets us, and firms like us, apart from much of the financial services industry.

After reaching all-time highs on January 26, 2018, the Dow Jones Industrial Average and the S&P 500 went into a two-week slide that saw both stock indexes drop by more than 10%, a decline that is typically considered a market correction.